A common type of lawn mower for a small lawn and garden tractor includes a mower deck mounted in underslung relation to the tractor. A discharge duct extends from one side of the mower upwardly and rearwardly to a bagger assembly mounted on the rear end of the tractor. The bagger assembly has conventionally included a basic bag or can sub-frame fixed to a rear portion of the tractor to support either a detachable fabric bag or a pair of plastic cans. The bag or cans may be dismounted from the tractor for purposes of discharging grass from them. The duct, in many instances, that carries the grass from the mower to the bagging assembly, enters the bagging assembly through an inlet at the upper outer end of a basket lid. The upper end of the duct is shaped to direct the grass across the upper portion of the bag or cans and to fill, in the instance where cans are used, the cans in the order in which they are spaced from the outlet, i.e., the can furthest from the discharge outlet of the duct is filled first, followed by the can closer to the outlet. Since some of the tractors require a rear fueling tank with a rear fuel inlet, the cans or bag must be removed for purposes of filling the tank. This requires that the lid be raised and the cans or bag removed.
One of the problems that has existed is the problem of raising the lid so as to be sufficiently out of the way of the fuel inlet. Also, in the past, the duct leading into the lid was required to be sufficiently flexible itself or be so flexibly mounted that it would not interfere with the raising or lowering of the lid. Further, since the lawn and garden tractors are relatively small, there is a seat positioned directly and closely adjacent the forward side of the lid which limits the amount the lid can be raised.
Conventional type rear bagger assemblies, in some instances, use solid plastic bags or containers that receive the grass, while others provide for a fabric-type bag that extends completely across the full extent of the bagging assembly. In the latter instance, it may be desirable to provide plastic liners that can be easily removed from the fabric bag. In either case, whether the bags are solid plastic or fabric with plastic liners, there must be provided an outlet for the air that moves through the duct and into the bagging attachment. Often, this outlet is a grilled-type outlet which often becomes clogged.